HP Pavilion Entertainment PC suddenly does not start

The laptop I have has suddenly stopped booting :

The screen stays black on boot up
I hear the noise of fans quite high for a few seconds then normal
After about 5 seconds, 2 little white LEDs (one on top of keyboard, one on the side) start constantly blinking at a quite slow rate

I tried turning off/on then pressing F8 but nothing changes.

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Has anyone had a similar issue who could help me?

I saw this: HP Pavilion laptop's lights flashing on and off, but the link it points to does not work, and anyway, no indication about the possible reason is provided.

Skippy Fastol

Posted 2014-02-07T09:38:24.113

Reputation: 163

1This is likely some form of hardware problem. Have you done anything with your computer recently like change Memory. I would also suggest trying it on the mains power without the battery plugged in. – Matthew Williams – 2014-02-07T09:58:50.250

2http://h10010.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&tmp_geoLoc=true&docname=c01443366 Here's a list of HP Pavilion error codes. – Vanadis – 2014-02-07T10:26:18.777

Try disconnecting mains power, take battery out, turn on to discharge any remaining power. Replace battery and try to reboot. Good luck ! – Peter Fowler – 2014-02-07T10:38:31.207

@MatthewWilliams: the computer is only on main power without battery... – Skippy Fastol – 2014-02-07T11:19:27.720

@Vanadis : your answer will solve my problem. Please post it as answer so I can validate it. 1000000 thanks. – Skippy Fastol – 2014-02-07T11:42:18.023

Answers

Here are the error codes for the blinking Caps Lock/Num Lock LEDs

This is a live link for Blank Screen LED Error Code

Component Tested Error Condition

LEDs blink 1 time CPU CPU not functional

LEDs blink 2 times BIOS BIOS corruption failure

LEDs blink 3 times Memory Module error not functional

LEDs blink 4 times Graphics Graphics controller not functional

LEDs blink 5 times System board General system board failure

LEDs blink 6 times BIOS BIOS authentication failure

I have seen two of these lately and both were system board failures.

Dave M

Posted 2014-02-07T09:38:24.113

Reputation: 12 811

And how about if the blinking keeps without stopping ... ? :( – Skippy Fastol – 2014-02-07T13:33:55.770

2In the cases I have seen the lights blink X times and then there is a noticeable pause and then the lights blink X times again. This continues until you power down. You will need to watch carefully. Given the number of threads on HP and other sites, there seems to be an issue with this model. – Dave M – 2014-02-07T13:39:56.787

I had the same problem(HP lap top)a blank screen, two blinking lights (continual)the one adjacent to the cap locks key, and the one above the scroll keys. Tried multiple ideas as expressed on these sites, none worked. One site, recommended removing the motherboard and baking it in the oven, as the cause was cracked solder in the connection. Taking this lead, I left my laptop on for 1 hour, restarted it and it rebooted, and is working again. Next day same problem, let it blink for an hour, shut it off , then immediately restart it. Now hesitant to shut it off, this leads me to believe, as the unit heats up thermal expansion completes the connection and allows it to run. This worked for me.

user453759

Posted 2014-02-07T09:38:24.113

Reputation: 1

This isn't really a reliable solution. You just lucked out that, in your case, it's adequate to stop the symptoms. BTW, try baking only as a last resort when you plan to trash the motherboard, anyway, so you have nothing to lose. – fixer1234 – 2015-05-31T17:26:22.267